Nigeria U23 side will begin their qualification journey in November after being drawn against Mauritania/DR Congo in the U23 AFCON (Egypt 2027) qualifiers draw done in Cairo on Tuesday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Mauritania and DR Congo will face off in the first round before facing Nigeria in the second round. The first round of matches will be played between September 28 and October 6.
Nigeria’s U23 will travel away in the first leg of the second-round tie on November 9-17 before hosting the return leg in Nigeria a week later. Should Nigeria emerge victorious in the second round, the side will face the winner of Sierra Leone/Burkina Faso v Zambia for a ticket to the final tournament in 2027.
A total of 43 nations are engaged in the U23 AFCON Egypt qualifiers, with hosts Egypt automatically qualified for the finals in 2027. The remaining 42 teams are competing for seven places at the continental showpiece through three rounds of home-and-away qualifying ties.
Meanwhile, Nigeria Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has already been handed the head coach role of the U23 since June. He is expected to lead the side through the qualifiers to the AFCON before a fight for the continental ticket to the Olympics in Los Angeles the year after.
The seven winners from the Third Round will join Egypt at the eight-team finals.
